Work-holder



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEQ SAMUEL L. OTIS, OF BIRMINGHAM, CONNECTICUT.

WORK-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 322,312, dated July 14,1885.

Application filed May 13, 1885.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, SAMUEL L. Oris, of Birmingham, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Work-Holders; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswillenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same. j

My invention relates to an improvement in workholders, and moreparticularly in holders adapted to hold a button or disk while beingoperated upon by a drill or other tool.

In the manufacture of buttons from bone, ivory, Vegetable ivory, horn,and the like it is desirable to provide some with perforations extendingthrough from the back to the face to form the eyes, and to provideothers with one or more perforations extending directly or obliquelythrough or partially through the stem or back. e

One of the devices hitherto in use for the purpose of holdingthe buttonin a suitable osition for drilling consists of a tube having afunnel-shaped mouth split in quarter-sections, which is just largeenough to admit the blank between the lips. When the button is adjustedin the mouth, the tube is forced into a cylinder or ring, or thecylinder or ring is forced onto the tube, pressing the half-sections ofthe mouth tightly together and thereby holding the blank securelytherein. This construction is found to be objectionable, as itnecessitates the employment of as many chucks as there are sizes ofbuttons, and the lateral strain, when the button is bored transversely,tends to tilt it more or less out of place within the chuck. y

,The object of my present invention is to provide a holder which willadapt itself automatically to differentsized buttons or disks, whichwill afford a bearing for' the button on both its face and back, andwhich will at the same time be exposed to the action of a drill or othertool in any direction desired. A further object is to provide a devicein connection with the holder for extracting the button or disktherefrom.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain features ofconstruction and (No model.)

combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter" a view of the holder,witha button in position to be operated upon. Fig. 2 represents the buttonin position in the holder,with drills in position for forming eyesthrough from back to front. Fig. 3 represents the button in position inthe holder,with drills in position for forming eyes transversely, ornearly so, to the stem. Fig. 4 is a detached View of the twogrippng-jaws and extractor in its position in one of thejaws.

The supporting-frame for the holder conveniently consists of an uprightpost or frame, A, provided with a laterally-extending hase, a, whichforms a support for the stationary jaw B, and with twolaterally-projecting arms or lugs,a,,which form bearings for theoperatingrod C. The stationary under jaw, B, consists of a cylindricalblock, of metal or other suitable material, provided with a funnelshapedrecess, b, in the top, adapted to receive vat its upper end a button ordisk of the largest size which it is desirable to operate upon, andfurther provided with a series of radialslots, b', extending to a depthsufficient to be on or below the level of the smallestdisk or button tobe operated upon. The block B is secured, with its funnel-shaped recessupward, to the base projection a at a suitable distance from the uprightsupport A, and is further proy vided with a transverse slot, b2,extending to a depth below the position which the smallest button ordisk would occupy, in which a bar, D, having an upturned hook,d, on itsend, is allowed alimited sliding motion. The shank of the bar D extendsthrough the supportA, and

is provided with suitable means for attaching power. The hooked end dofthe bar D engages the edge of the button or disk which has beenoperated upon, and when the upper jaw, E,

has been removed the button or disk may be extracted by sliding the barD a short distance in its bearings. The bar D is at once returned to itsformer position to receive the next blank. The upper jaw, E, is securedto the outer end` of a sti arm or bar, F, which latter is secured invertical adjustment to the lower end of the operating-rod C. The lengthof the arm F is sufficient to carry the jaw E out from beneath IOO thebearings a', the location of the stationary jaw B being made to conformwith the position of the jaw E. The face of thejaw E is provided with aseries of teeth, e, adapted to fit within the radial slots b in thejawB.The inner faces of the teeth care beveled, as shown, forming afunnel-shaped seat for the button or disk corresponding to the seat inthe face of the jaw B. The center of the jaw E is bored out, as shown ate', and registers with a similar bore, j', in the outer end ofthe arm F.The bores f e are adapted to admit the drills into contactV with theblank 0g when Vit is desired to extend the eyes through from the back tothe face. rIhe jaws are further cut away, as shown at i, on theiropposite sides to admit the drills when it is desired to extend the eyethrough the back of the button or stem transversely to the stem. The armF is conveniently locked to the lower end of the rod C by a set-screw,f, which exten ds through the side of the arm into contact with the rod.The rod C has a vertically-sliding movement in its bearings, and is heldnormally depressed by means of a spring, G, secured on the rod be tweenthe upper bearing, a, and an adjustable arm, H, the eye of whichembraces the rod and the shank of which extends in to or through anelongated vertical slot, I, formed in the support A between the bearingsa. The arm H is conveniently locked to the rod C by means of aset-screw, h, which extends through the side ofthe eye into contact withthe rod. The shank of the arm H within the slot I also serves to preventthe rod C from rotating, and hence prevents the movable jaw E fromlateral displacement. rIhe bevel shape of the faces of thejaws serves toautomatically center the blank placed between them, and the bearingwhich the edge of the blank has both above and below serves to hold itsecurely againstdisplacement. rlhe larger the blank f the farther apartwill the jaws be held and the tension of the spring will be greater, andthe smaller the blank the nearer will the jaws approach each other andthelighter the pressure exerted by the spring.

rlhe holder as above described may be employed in connection with anautomatic feed, and may be operated by power or hand, as foundexpedient.

It is evident that slight changes in the forni and arrangement of theseveral parts might be resorted to without departing from the spirit andscope of my invention. Hence I do not wish to limit myself strictly tothe construction herein set forth 5 but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, isd

l. In a work-holder, the combination, with a supportingframe, of a pairof interlocking jaws provided with funnel-shaped or beveled faces, andwith an opening or recess for the passage of a drill andadapted toretain disks of different diameters, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the interlocking jaws adapted to hold a disk ina rigid position for being operated upon bya drill or the like andprovided with recesses for the passage of a drill, of a disk-extractorlocated in one of the jaws, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the supportingframe, of a pair of interlockingjaws adapted to hold a disk and provided with end and side recesseswhich expose the sides and bottom of the disk to the action of drills,substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a stationary lower jaw having a funnel-shapedface and recesses for the passage of a drill, of a vertically-mow ablespring-actuated upper jaw provided with teeth beveled on the inner facesand with recesses for the passage of a drill, substantially as setforth. Y

5. A disk or button holder consisting, essentially, of a pair ofinterlockingjaws provided with beveled faees, one of the jaws beingcentrally bored to receive bottom drills and both jaws being recessed atthe sides to admit side drills, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

sAMUnL L. cris.

Titnesses:

J oriN C. SHELLEY, EDWIN B. G-AGER.

